We need a community-led and community-owned intermediary funding mechanism for communities working on LGBTQI issues in the Asia Pacific region. The Covid-19 pandemic really magnified the need for such a mechanism for advocates, activists and organisations to continue to do their important work in the region by reaching and helping the most marginalised that often falls outside the support of the government. The Australian Government has an opportunity to help build and sustain this mechanism to ensure the human rights, resiliency and sustainability of LGBTQI people in the Asia Pacific region.

Midnight, Executive Director, APCOM

Sydney WorldPride Human Rights conference 2023 where APCOM is an official community partner, and together with other regional organisations APTN, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, Intersex Asia, ILGA Asia, and PSGDN, and Equality Australia and GPP launched the Partnering with Pride: The case for Australian action on equality in our region which has helped us engaging more closely with the Australian government to advance LGBTQI rights in the region. 

APCOM also hosted the Asia Caucus involving the UN SOGI Expert, Two Special LGBTQI Envoys and Ambassador to the ADB, a session on Advancing Laws for LGBTQIA+ Equality in Asia Pacific as well as a report back session for Reflections from Asian LGBTQI who attended the conference. 

Being a long term partner with APCOM, CHIAs, every year, joins the APCOM Community Summit. The safe space created at the Summit allows communities across the region to speak about their issues and challenges openly and find strategic solutions to advance HIV and LGBTQI programs at the country level. I am thrilled to represent CHIAs from Laos to join the Summit this year.

Olam Rasaphonh, CHIAs, Laos

For the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, our 2023 Community Summit saw the biggest attendance to date of 150 persons among key populations, LGBTQI community, communities of diverse SOGIESC to discuss innovative approaches, updates and lessons learned pertaining to HIV, sexual health and LGBTQI human rights advocacy. We were able to announce our new 3 years partnership with Elton John AIDS Foundation on Community-led Online and Digital Engagements as well.

Safeguard issues in our daily life for intersex people have never been aware, discussed, and addressed in any policy or law in almost all Asian countries. As a leader of the only intersex network in Asia, it is a great opportunity to engage with ADB on safeguard issues to create awareness and positive impacts at the regional level on safeguard issues for the Asian intersex community.

Hiker Chiu, Executive Director, Intersex Asia

We collaborated with regional networks, the Asian Development Bank, and with support from Global Affairs Canada, Open Society Foundations, and Voice we conducted the inaugural Asian Development Bank learning week, which we hope will be an annual event to ensure inclusion of SOGIESC in the Bank’s policy and operations and working more closely with the LGBTQI community at country and regional levels. 

This accomplishment is not something that I did alone, and there are many others who deserve to share in this Award. I would like to thank my LGBTQIA++ community members and Friends. I am very optimistic about the future. Our actions today will determine the future for the generations to come. The time to act is now! I am humbled and appreciative. 

Angel Queentus, Sri Lanka, 2023 HERO Awards recipient of the Young Achiever category

This year’s 7th HERO Awards 2023 was hosted by the German Embassy.

17 individuals and organisations were honoured, with 11 receiving a HERO Award. Witnessed by Ambassadors from Canada and Luxembourg, and representatives from diplomatic missions from Australia, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US, and community representatives from 35 organisations in 15 countries across the region who attended the APCOM Community Summit 2023. 

Remy Choo, from Singapore received the Shivananda Khan Award for Extraordinary Achievement for his efforts to successfully repeal section 377A, the law that criminalised sex between consenting adult males, in Singapore. 

Other Award Recipients were from Bhutan, India, Laos, Pakistan,Papua New Guinea, two from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. 

Nominations for the 8th HERO Awards 2024 is now open!

“At RoCK’s annual events such as Pride/IDAHOTB andInternational Human Rights Day, RoCK members and local authorities mentionedthe social and legal obstacles hindering official same-sex marriage. Those challenges are a lack of recognition and protection of their families,including joint property titles, social protection schemes and benefits for their children.”

Ly Pisey, Coordinator,
Rainbow Community Kampuchea Organisation (RoCK), Cambodia

Towards the end of year we partnered with Freedom to Marry to conduct the 2nd Asia Regional Marriage Strategy meeting, following on from our first meeting back in 2018. 

Update on Marriage Equality Movement in Asia